Malik Benson said he “blacked out,” but the crowd was very much alive.

The ear-splitting audience of 59,588 went ballistic at Autzen Stadium, cheering on the senior wide receiver as he made an 85-yard punt return, which was the catalyst for No. 7 Oregon’s (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) 42-27 win over No. 15 USC (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten).

They roared for every explosive play and clutch stop, with Benson’s 85-yard punt return touchdown and Kenyon Sadiq’s second-half highlight-reel touchdown being the biggest highlights of the day.

They cheered on quarterback Dante Moore, whose 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns helped the Ducks engineer 436 yards of total offense. 

And lastly, with time running out on the Trojans, they exhaled, knowing that one more win next weekend against Washington is now all that separates Oregon from a College Football Playoff berth. 

“I’m proud of our guys,” Lanning said. “That’s a good team we just beat.”  

It was far from perfect for the Ducks, who were penalized 11 times for 130 yards and turned the ball over on their first two possessions of the second half. But victory doesn’t require perfection — just an advantage — and a fatal 11-play, 79-yard drive that ticked off nearly six minutes in the fourth quarter ensured the Ducks would end with one. 

Styles make fights, and Saturday’s win was less of a proof-of-concept game for Dan Lanning’s coaching staff, but more of a proof of ability schematically against USC’s Lincoln Riley-led offense. And while yes, Trojan superstar receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane got theirs through the air (142 yards for two touchdowns combined), they didn’t have a full grasp on the game or make up for USC’s other troubles. There were a lot of them. 

“Their quarterback is special, ” Lanning said. “They have some wideouts that made some big-time plays today.” 

Through one half, the Trojans’ special teams unit was responsible for a kickoff out of bounds, hitting the punt returner, a leaping penalty on an Oregon field goal try, a punt return TD allowed and a missed field goal to end the first half of play. 

That alone would have been more than enough to sink most teams, and while USC battled back with the help of Jayden Maiava’s big day (306 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions), early issues were too much to overcome. 

“If we can make them one-dimensional, it’s easier to stop them,” Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. 

Six different players caught passes from Moore while the Ducks utilized their embarrassment of tailbacks to gash USC for a consistent 4.4 yards per carry. Sadiq was Oregon’s offensive protagonist, grabbing six receptions for 72 yards, a hurdle of a defender and a pair of impressive touchdowns. 

“I wish I could do that,” Lanning said of Sadiq. “I always have a good feeling when I can touch base with him before pregame and he gave me that look that ‘I’m ready to roll today’.”

USC was explosive at times, beginning the game with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and mustering 382 yards of total offense by its end, but Maiava missed open receivers on multiple third downs and was under pressure throughout. More importantly, aside from the explosive plays, the Trojans struggled to get ahead of the sticks and rushed for just 52 yards on 1.9 yards per carry.  

“It was a physical game,” Lanning said. “(Us) rushing for 180 yards and them rushing for 52 tells a big story.” 

Oregon dominated in the trenches, overcoming an injury to center Iapani Laloulu to score on three of its first four possessions. Only adding another highlight reel play on a day full of them was a wildcat formation touchdown run by Boettcher, a linebacker, which capped off a drive that included five penalties, a missed kick and a touchdown respotted to the one-yard line.

“I don’t know if anyone could have stopped Bryce from getting in the endzone when we gave him that opportunity,” Lanning said. 

“We can rub it in a little more when our linebackers are scoring touchdowns,” Benson said. 

Oregon controlled most of the middle eight, forcing a pair of USC turnovers — one of which included a missed 27-yard field-goal to end the first half — before the Trojans broke through with a four-yard touchdown reception from Lemon. 

After the second of Sadiq’s touchdown grabs, USC battled back with a touchdown of its own, making it a one-score game with just under 12 minutes remaining. Nothing about the contest was seamless for Oregon, with a Dante Moore interception and an avalanche of penalties significant moments for improvement. But a suffocating 11-play touchdown drive capped off by a nine-yard rush by Whittington was pivotal in the win. 

“It’s just an example that we can beat you in multiple ways,” Lanning said. “Just put the ball down and let’s play football.” 

Lanning was less accommodating of his team’s 130 penalty yards, most of which came in the secondary as Oregon’s young corners struggled. 

“Disappointed in general at our lack of composure at times,” Lanning said. “There are some that we can go ahead and attack, we got to be better on third down.”  

“We knew they were going to throw some punches,” Lanning said. “They hit some big plays on us. I was really pleased with our guys being able to hit the reset button and being able to say ‘Let’s go again.’ Obviously, the back-to-back pass interference calls — those were frustrating.” 

But some forgiveness may be for a team that continues to win in a variety of ways, a penalty-filled shootout included. 

“We just played a really good team, we beat them,” Lanning said.

One more of those wins next Saturday in Seattle against Washington (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) will put the Ducks in prime position for a spot in the CFP. For now, however, a top-15 win on senior night in front of a raucous crowd will have to do.

“We’re the most physical team,” Boettcher said. “We can play with the best.”